´óÏó´«Ã½

A new £10.5m childcare recovery support fund opens for applications on Monday.

It will be operated by the Early Years Organisation on behalf of the Department of Education (DE).

The aim is to see as many day care providers and nurseries reopen in July and August following lockdown.

The financial support will help childcare facilities with additional operational costs during the pandemic although many may not be able to operate at full capacity.

A number of nursery settings that closed on an initial temporary basis during the pandemic have since permanently closed.

Social distancing guidelines and limited space mean some day care settings have not been able to operate at full occupancy.

An earlier support package set up by Stormont was scrapped following criticism of how it was implemented.

It emerged only 5% of the £12m available had been allocated to providers and childminders.

Early Years want payments to be processed quickly to ensure settings can reopen as quickly as possible.

Pauline Walmsley, Early Years chief executive, said it had created a user-friendly online application system to assist all registered early childhood care and education providers applying.

She urged all relevant providers to apply for available financial support through this fund as soon as possible.

"An individualised link to the applicable streams of funding will be sent to all eligible providers on Monday, 27 July 2020," she said.

Early Years said the new application process should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete.

Payments will depend on pre-pandemic registration numbers and when the setting reopens.

Separate funding streams have been put in place.

Some day care settings that cared for more than 100 people before coronavirus could receive up to £27,000 if they are open through July and August.

Playgroups with more than 50 children could be eligible for £10,455.

Reduced payments will be made to those who remained closed in July but will open in August.

Childminders who are operating on or before 7 August, 2020 will receive a one-off payment of £300 and those operating from 8 August, 2020 to 31 August, 2020 will receive a one-off payment of £150.

Early Years said online workshops will be operating to help with applications.